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Volume 172 • Issue 38 | $1.00
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Wednesday, April 5, 2023
DWR survey
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California Department of Water Resources photo by Kenneth James
Light snow falls as California Department of Water Resources Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit staff conduct the measurement phase of a snow survey at Phillips Station April 3. Pictured taking snow samples are unit manager Sean de Guzman, right, and water resources engineer Jordan Thoennes.
Mountain Democrat photo by Odin Rasco
Architect and member of the ownership team for the development Mel Higginbotham presented design plans for the proposed gas station and commercial space to a group of concerned Divide residents March 30 at the Pilot Hill Grange.
Most snow since ’50s Developer aims for Mountain Democrat staff
W
hile water managers say it is difficult to precisely compare the snowpack across decades, statewide April 1 snowpack readings show 237% of average — tied with 1952 as the most measured since record keeping began. The statewide average comes from electronic readings but the Department of Water Resources
on April 3 also conducted its fourth manual snow survey of the season at Phillips Station near Echo Summit. DWR data showed 126.5 inches of snow depth — about 10.5 feet — and a snow water equivalent of 54 inches, which is 221% of average for the location in early April. Following three straight months of record dry conditions last year, on April 1, 2022, a DWR survey recorded just 2.5 inches of snow depth and a snow
water equivalent of 1 inch, which was 4% of average for Phillips Station. The snow water equivalent measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack and is a key component of DWR’s water supply forecast. DWR’s 2023 electronic readings from 130 snow sensors placed throughout the state indicate the statewide snowpack’s snow water equivalent is 61.1
‘country store look’ n Divide residents say two gas
stations ‘overkill’ for Cool Odin Rasco Staff writer
A public design review meeting regarding a proposed development in the “heart of Cool” drew a crowd of concerned Divide locals to the Pilot Hill n See Review, page A3
n See Snow survey, page A8
Fireplace place placed in employees’ hands Odin Rasco Staff writer
Placervillebased company Sierra Home Alternatives has become an employeeowned business.
When Casey Kish and Parrish Stanton decided they were ready to move on from Sierra Home Alternatives, the Placerville-based fireplace business they co-owned, they looked for a way to make sure the store would continue on after they left. Small businesses, even successful ones, face a crisis when the owners decide to retire or sell the business; data from the U.S. Small Business Administration shows around a quarter of businesses close for those two reasons. Rather than chance
Mountain Democrat photo by Odin Rasco
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those odds, Kish and Stanton decided on a different route, making their 11 employees the official owners of Sierra Home Alternatives with help of a company called Teamshares. Teamshares is a national company with a focus on providing an avenue for small businesses to become employee-owned, according to Chief Communications Officer Jaimen Sfetko. “We want to break the succession cycle,” Sfetko said. “We’re trying to show that employee ownership should be for everyone.” Eighty businesses across 27 states n See Sierra Home Alternatives, page A7
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